QUITO, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian prosecutors said Wednesday that eight bodies were found inside jute sacks piled along a road in the coastal province of Los Rios, one of the country's most violent areas.

The Prosecutor General's Office said on X that prosecutors and police recovered the bodies in the Las Ca?itas area, along the Jujan-Babahoyo road.

Local media, citing police sources, reported that the alert was received by the ECU-911 emergency system, after which specialized police units were sent to the scene.

Preliminary investigations suggest the bodies had been abandoned. Investigators also found a sign on top of the sacks with messages allegedly linked to organized criminal groups, local media reported.

Authorities said identifying the victims is a priority as they seek to determine whether the remains correspond to eight young people, aged between 15 and 31, who were reported missing on May 31 in the municipality of Milagro, in the southwestern province of Guayas.

The missing youths had traveled on four motorcycles to Milagro to complete an administrative procedure. Their last communication was in the afternoon, after which contact was lost. ■